Coyotes center Martin Hanzal isn’t sure when he last led a team in goal scoring.

Actually, he didn’t even know that his seven goals are currently tops on the Coyotes.

“Really?” he said. “It’s gonna change for sure, I know that. But it’s been awhile.”

Maybe he wasn’t aware because scoring goals has never been his sole responsibility.

Since the Coyotes selected Hanzal and his 6-foot-6 frame 17th overall in the 2005 Entry Draft, he’s been groomed to be a matchup centerman that could shut down the other hulks of the Pacific Division like Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar.

Before that, when he played junior hockey in Canada and even as a youngster growing up in the Czech Republic leagues, Hanzal carried an entirely different role.

“When I was younger because of my size, I was always bigger so I was kind of more of a playmaker,” he said. “Even when I was in junior in Red Deer, I always had more assists than goals.”

Despite that, Hanzal, who turns 26 years old Wednesday, wasn’t resistant to adapting his style to suit the Coyotes. Now in his sixth season with the team, he’s become adept at patrolling the ice against other team’s top lines all the while creating havoc along the boards and in front of the net with his size and strength.

That combination of duties has made him a pillar of the future of the franchise. He’s an alternate captain and is in the first year of a five-year contract.

“If you want to stay in the NHL, in this league, you want to be good in both zones,” Hanzal said. “I think it’s what everybody should be doing.”

But the Coyotes needs have evolved. The departure of winger Ray Whitney via free agency gutted the team of a sizeable chunk of its offensive production. Expectation was that hole would be filled by committee, and that’s largely been the case so far, but Hanzal has done his fair share of picking up the slack.

With seven goals, Hanzal is one shy of matching his season output from last year. He has 10 points, trailing team-leader and linemate Radim Vrbata who has 12.

Hanzal has played in only 12 games but is on pace to break the 20-goal mark (if he stays healthy, which isn’t a given) – something he’s yet to do in his NHL career.

“I see him as a good two-way player, same as he’s been the whole time that I’ve been here,” coach Dave Tippett said. “I think he’s always wanted to score more or get more points, but he recognizes for him to be the best player he can for our team he has to play both sides of the puck. He’s willing to do that. He’s been opportunistic this year.”

Aside from an empty-net goal Saturday against Columbus, all of Hanzal’s goals have come from him either setting a screen in front of the goaltender or collecting rebounds in the crease.

“It’s not necessarily just going to the net,” Tippett said. “He’s been around the net a lot. It’s what you do when you get there.”

And that’s what Hanzal has been focusing on this season, more than before, he said. A stint in the Czech Extraliga during the lockout in which he scored 19 points in 18 games while playing alongside Milan Michalek and Vinny Prospal no doubt also helped rekindle his offensive instincts.

“I think I’m doing a better job in front of the goalie, stepping more in front of the goalie, making it hard for him,” Hanzal said. “I think a couple times the shot just hit me because I was standing right in front, and the goalie couldn’t see it. So I think that’s what I have to do better, and that’s what I’ve got better at.”

Posting a comment to our website allows you to join in on the conversation. Share your story and unique perspective with members of the azcentral.com community.

Comments posted via facebook:

► Join the Discussion

azcentral.com has switched to the Facebook comment system on its blogs. Existing blog comments will display, but new comments will only be accepted via the Facebook comment system. To begin commenting, you must be logged into an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. While we welcome you to join conversations, readers are responsible for their comments and abuse of this privilege will not be tolerated. We reserve the right, without warning or notification, to remove comments and block users judged to violate our Terms of Service and Rules of Engagement. Facebook comments FAQ

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.